The Boss

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER ONE

Five years later

“Damsel in distress here.” Struggling to carry a heavy box, Chaney eyed the row of antique armor on display in the great hall of Abbotsford Castle. “Hey, knights in shining armor. Can I get some help, please?”

The polished suits stood at attention, weapons in hand as if ready for battle, but not one moved.

The story of her life.

She laughed.

Okay, Chaney didn’t have the happily ever after she once thought she’d have, but she couldn’t complain. Few people got to fly to London for three days and stay at a luxurious castle with all expenses paid while working as the associate producer on a highly rated cable channel show.

This temporary position was the hands-on production experience her boss, Justin, said she needed if she wanted to have a shot at the promotion she’d been eyeing. Okay, dreaming about since the job notice appeared, and she’d submitted an application. Knowing finance was one thing, but understanding how projects got made and being in the trenches on a set was another. That was why he’d allowed her to use personal time off to come to England this week.

And she had one person to thank for the opportunity.

Gemma.

Her former roommate was counting on Chaney to make sure the taping of The Billionaire’s Playground, a travel show profiling the vacation spots of the uber-wealthy, went off without a hitch. Gemma’s job required her to look out for the cable channel’s interest, to put out fires, and make sure the show stayed on budget and schedule.

Chaney wouldn’t let her friend down.

The container full of electrical gear slipped in her sweaty hands. Her arm muscles strained against the weight. Her eyeglasses slid down her nose.

Dropping the hefty box on the gleaming wood floor would be an expensive no-no, one that could have historical implications given the medieval age of the castle. She tightened her grip.

“May I help you, my lady?” a male voice asked from behind her.

The Welsh accent reminded her of her former boss, but Gemma thought another billionaire would host this episode because Drake had a previous engagement. Chaney had been relieved to know she wouldn’t see him again. But plans could change at the last minute.

“Thank you.” She rested the container against her bended knee. “I should have borrowed a baggage cart or dolly.”

“Allow me.”

She glanced back at her rescuer. A man wearing chain mail, black leather, and armor plates on his shoulders, chest, and legs approached. And not just any man.

Drake Llewelyn.

Her breath caught in her throat. He looked like a knight from King Arthur’s Round Table, not a billionaire businessman whose latest pet project had led him to host a travel show for his successful cable channel.

She had to admit the costume suited him.

Awareness fluttered through her, but she shut that down immediately.

Too bad Drake Llewelyn wasn’t a noble knight. He didn’t follow any code of chivalry. His armor might be polished, but underneath was a tarnished partyer.

He walked toward her with the grace and agility of an athlete. His armor didn’t slow him down one bit.

Uh-oh. She stiffened with apprehension. The costume must mean he was hosting this episode. Which meant she would have to work with him for the next three days.

“Hello, Chaney.”

The warm sound of his voice seeped through her. He took the box out of her arms as if it weighed no more than a container of laundry detergent.

She pushed her glasses back into place. Her tired and dry eyes from the long flight meant she’d taken out her contact lenses hours ago. “Thanks.”

“Thank you for coming at such short notice and filling in for Gem.” He sounded sincere. “Are you up to speed on this episode?”

Her heart thudded. “Yes.” Though at the moment, the show was the last thing on her mind.

“Of course, you are.” Two familiar brown eyes, with gold flecks flickering like flames, stared into hers and sent Chaney’s temperature soaring.

His mussed hair made him look as if he’d just returned to the castle after a crusade and was ready to bed the first female who caught his eye. And that beard…

She did a double take. “You grew a beard.”

“For the taping.” Drake tilted his chin to provide a better view. “Not as full as I’d hoped, but I thought a beard would look more knightly.”

“It does.” She usually preferred men without facial hair, but the mustache and beard, combined with the costume, made Drake look dark and dangerous. A black knight from an Arthurian tale who had his pick of maidens, courtesans, and queens.

Chaney swallowed around the crown-jewel-size lump in her throat.

“Where would you like the box?” he asked.

The deep rumble, coupled with his accent, sent her stomach into doing cartwheels and a series of backflips like a gymnast during a floor exercise routine. The unexpected reaction put every nerve ending on alert.

“By the lights.” Her voice sounded low, almost husky, and totally unnatural. The same odd way it felt to give Drake Llewelyn orders or feel the bolt of unwelcome attraction. She cleared her dry throat. “Please place the box next to the lights.”

As he carefully set the box where one of tonight’s scenes would be taped, chain mail clinked. The sound echoed through the cavernous hall until swallowed up by the tapestry-covered walls.

Drake stood, looking taller than she remembered. She hadn’t recalled his eyelashes being so thick and long, either. He seemed more handsome, if that were possible.

Maybe she was more tired than she realized. Exhaustion could easily explain her reaction to him.

His gaze raked over her.

She crossed her arms over her chest. “If I’d known we were supposed to dress up, I would have brought my beer wench costume.”

Drake laughed. “It’s been too long, Chaney.”

Five years, one month, and—she did a quick calculation—about five days. Not long enough, in her opinion. “I’m only here as a favor for Gemma.”

“It’s still good to see you again.”

No way would she be charmed by him. Being enticed by his knight get-up was bad enough. She straightened. “I doubt you missed me.”

“But I have.”

“Not according to the tabloids.”

He adjusted a chain mail sleeve as if the leather pants, tunic, and armor were his daily attire, not a designer suit. “You’ve been following me in the magazines?”

“Not really. Just...when I’m in line at the grocery store.” And drawn to the stories of Drake dating women as if they were library books to be checked out and returned before their due date. A leopard didn’t change its spots, and so it seemed, neither did a dragon.

“Grocery shopping. For your family?”

Her chest tightened. “Myself.”

“Gemma told me you were engaged.” He glanced at Chaney’s left hand, at her bare ring finger to be exact. “I thought you’d be married by now.”

She did, too. “Nope.”

“Let me guess. You found the long-term investment strategy lacking.”

Her cheeks burned when she remembered what she’d said to him five years ago. If she’d known then... Who was she kidding? She wouldn’t have done anything differently.

“No,” Chaney admitted. “He did.”

Drake reached his hand toward her, but she stepped away from him. “Chaney—”

“I’m not looking for sympathy,” she interrupted. “I got enough of that when Tyler, my ex-fiancé, broke up with me.”

“I wasn’t going to say I’m sorry because I’m not. The man is obviously an idiot.”

She bit back a smile. She’d forgotten how Drake could put things into perspective with only a few words. “He married my sister.”

“Then your brother-in-law is an idiot.”

Chaney laughed. “He is.”

“You’re too young to settle down.”

“Well, I don’t plan on settling down anytime soon.”

“We have something in common.”

“That makes two things,” she said.

Drake gave her a puzzled look.

“Gemma.” Chaney picked up her clipboard from the top of the box. “We have her in common.”

His eyes darkened. “Yes, we do.”

“We don’t get together often, but thank goodness for the Internet. I don’t know what I would do without her.”

“Me, neither.”

The emotion in the two words and the concern in his eyes caught her off guard. “You know, Gemma will be fine. Her baby, too. I spoke with her after I arrived. She believes the bed rest is temporary, and with the way Oliver is spoiling her, she’ll be good to go for the remainder of this season’s tapings.”

“Let’s hope so, but until then...” A smile touched Drake’s lips. “I have you.”

The approval in his gaze let Chaney know he liked what he saw. She wouldn’t allow herself to care.

“Only on the set,” she said crisply.

“Of course.” His eyes laughed at her.

Flustered, she clutched her clipboard. “I’ll keep things on schedule so you can catch your flight out of Heathrow. Gemma said that was important to the host, which appears to be you.”

“Still the same industrious, competent Chaney. This arrangement should work out well.”

She lifted her chin. “I think so.”

His lips curved into a full smile, showing two rows of straight, white teeth. He had a charming smile. “I knew you’d go far, but I thought you would work with your father, not take your financial skills and go into show business.”

“Well, my parents named me after Lon Chaney,” she admitted.

“Lon Chaney, that old actor?”

“They were die-hard horror fans but preferred the older black-and-white flicks to the newer slasher movies.” She remembered how Drake had kept their conversations focused on business when she was an intern. Well, except for her going-away party. “I once called my mom ‘mummy,’ and she gave me a cookie.”

“That’s—”

“Weird, I know, but Chaney’s better than Karloff or Lorre. Though Bela might not have been too bad,” she admitted. “But despite my name, I got my first taste of television during my internship when you acquired the Dragon Network. That experience led me to the job at the studio where I work.”

“It’s amazing how an internship can change a career path.”

He had no idea. She nodded.

“And now you’re in England working on the show we brainstormed.”

Her mouth gaped. She closed it. “You remember?”

“Your name is in the credits.”

“That was a nice gesture, but it’s not the same show we’d talked about.”

“Maybe not, but The Billionaire’s Playground wouldn’t exist if not for that meeting you attended.”

His words meant a lot to her and echoed what Gemma had said. “Thank you.”

“So, how does it feel?”

“Pretty cool.” Chaney wiggled her toes. “I remember watching the premiere episode and thinking, wow, our ideas turned into this. Though I never thought you’d host the show.”

“Me, neither,” he admitted. “But I had a free weekend when they filmed the pilot. We hadn’t found the right talent to host, and Gem said I should do it. I had fun, so I made it a regular gig. Lately, we’ve started using a few guest hosts because my schedule has been full.”

“Gemma told me you’ve been growing your empire.”

“That’s what billionaires do.” He winked. “Do you have a favorite episode?”

“The one with kitesurfing on the coast of Greenland.”

“That was an exciting one to tape. A few of the Silicon Forest billionaires took a vacation there and gave us the idea.”

Oh, right. The six tech billionaires from Portland, Oregon. Chaney had read about them. “Who decided to use a medieval castle this weekend?”

“Gem, after she nixed my idea of BASE jumping in Norway.”

“Good call,” Chaney said. “Previews of you in your knight costume will bring in viewers and increase ratings more than you doing a crazy stunt.”

He raised a brow. “You sound confident.”

“It’s my job to understand viewers and translate ratings into advertising revenue,” she explained. “All you have to do is look at yourself in one of the gilded mirrors around here. The knight costume will be huge with female viewers. You may spawn a whole new following with Sir Dragon Knight.”

He laughed. “And I thought women were only after my bank account.”

“I’m sure there are those, too, but many are susceptible to the archetype of a knight. Even if they’d never admit it.”

“Do you admit it?”

“Well, I had a thing for knights when I was younger. Galahad was my favorite, but the whole fairy tale with a happy ending seems a bit outdated now. I don’t need anyone to rescue me. I can do it myself.”

Even if she still dreamed of a happily ever after of her own someday.

“Very modern. Very practical.”

“I am practical.” She’d had to be. “Anything wrong with that?”

“Nothing at all.” The devilish look in his brown eyes matched the grin on his face. “I’m curious about how your practicality has affected your current investment strategy philosophy. Do you prefer short-term, long-term, or day trading?”

“None of the above.” She met his inquisitive gaze. “I’m on hiatus from...investing.”